Even people who like pumpkin spice enjoy making fun of it. It’s an autumnal flavor that is comforting, warming and reminds us of family gatherings. Some people don’t like the taste, and others don’t like how much of a fad it has become. Some people don’t like that Starbucks jumped the gun on fall and released its famous latte on August 27, proclaiming the date as the first day of fall. The Neuliven team is located in San Diego, CA, where it will be in the 80s all week, we don’t think it’s fall yet! But, we wanted to take a look at this staple of the upcoming season and learn if the spice mix has health benefits.

Even if you aren’t a fan of the flavor, pumpkin spice is hard to get away from in the fall. It’s a simple mix and found in so many recipes. If you make it at home, it’s not complicated. The mix is 18 parts ground cinnamon, four parts ground nutmeg, four parts ground ginger, three parts ground cloves and three parts ground allspice. That's it! A mix of five spices most people already own.

Its most predominant spice is cinnamon — also an ingredient in Glucocil. It helps healthy blood sugar, fights inflammation and can reduce the risks of heart disease by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. And, its ability to lessen inflammation means it can aid sore muscles. Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, which has antifungal and antibacterial properties and may prevent infections. Nutmeg is also an antibacterial aid. Your latte may ward off your winter sniffles.

Ginger can help health in a multitude of ways, including that it can boost your circulatory system and aid an upset stomach. Ginger may also help lessen a headache and increase metabolism. Gingerol, a component of the spice, fights infections. And, like cinnamon, ginger can lower blood sugar. It has minerals like iron, potassium and zinc. While ginger can aid your stomach, a slice of pumpkin pie or a latte won’t help you.

Nutmeg has been linked by some small studies to brain health and possibly lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, there isn’t much hard proof to back that up, but we do know that it is rich in magnesium and can aid blood pressure. On the other hand, there is a lot of proof about the health uses of clove — your grandmother’s grandmother knew that clove helped a bad tooth. Clove fights toothache because of the presence of the natural anesthetic eugenol. You should go to the dentist if your tooth hurts, but clove can tide you over until you get there. And its antimicrobial aspects can also aid your dental health. Clove is also rich in manganese and antioxidants. The manganese can support healthy blood sugar and increase the absorption of calcium to aid your bones. Like clove, allspice has eugenol and therefore has the same benefits. However, the spice has not been studied very much. So, the evidence of its efficacy is a bit thin.

Of course, regardless of how good the spice is, pies and lattes are very high in calories and sugar. However, when you make your treat in your own kitchen, you can drastically improve the nutritional value of it. Click here for a pumpkin spice latter with only 70 calories and two net carbs.

Is about a month's time, we would be thrilled to toast the fall with the spice: but not until the weather cools off!